Job scene after PhD/M.S.

[soaringheights]

1.What is the job scene like after you finish with your PhD/M.S. in Clinical Psych?
2.Is it dictated by the state you live in?
3.What is the job description like? Leans more toward academic and research jobs, or is private practice also feasible?
4.Is it the same for U.S. citizens and international students? If not, what are the differences?
5.Can you enter post-doc immediately after PhD, or is a couple of yrs of work ex mandatory?
5.How long will I have to live in poverty after my PhD is over?

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[Thumbrella]

1) Decent, but what will be available to you will depend on what you did during your PhD. There will be some jobs which you will be qualified for, and some which you will not be as many people search out clinians who have a certain specialization or work experience. That being said there are also some generalist jobs, but these positions are typically occupied by master's level clinicans. Starting a private practice is challenging without business acumen or know-how. You can also do adjunct teaching, which sucks, but can pay some bills. Getting a tenure track faculty position is almost out of the question as these jobs are near impossible to get and hard to retain.

2)Yes, clinician saturation in places like the Northeast and West Coast can cause you to struggle-- too much competition is bad for business. In many cases, if you are specialized (and you likely will be), you'll also apply to jobs which fit that specialty in your state (if in the US).

3) There will be huge pressure to have you remain in the academy, because that is the culture of the PhD. You could very well do a private practice, but you should never say this during your interviews to get into a PhD, or to your peers and faculty during your program. If you are more inclined to do a private practice or work in a hospital (not as a researcher), a PsyD may be a much better option.

4) Not sure on this one. Where are you now? Where are you going? One important thing to know is that in the States, licensing is not the same from state to state. You'll be licensed in one state, but you will not be able to practice in another state without having fulfilled the licensing requirements there. After 5 years or so, you may be able to practice in other states, and your license wil essentially transfer. Although, this only applies in some states.

5) Yes, and I would say most people do their post-doc right after their clinical internship. The practica, externship and internship you'll complete in your program are meant to prepare you for future career opportunities. By the time you graduate, you will have already have had years of clinical training and experience through your program.

6) Not long. Your internship should be paid. Your postdoc will be required to pay you 45k as long as it's APA compliant. If you don't do a postdoc, there may be a point after graduation where you make ~30-40k, because you don't yet have a license or only have a provisional license.

 

[WisNeuro]

The at least 45k number is not accurate for postdocs btw. And I am not sure what APA compliant means. As for debt and poverty, get into a fully funded program and it's no problem. Decent training in grad school, good internship and postdoc and you can walk into a starting salary of 90k. Just have to put the work in to make a good CV.

 

[PsyDr]

1) That really depends on location, demand, your ability to negotiate, your productivity, and education.

2) To some degree. There are areas with higher demand and areas with market saturation. Subspeciality also can change this.

3) Depends. I went into private practice immediately after post doc. Some friends are still employees for AMCs.

4) Graduates from foreign PhDs basically have to retrain to get licensed, which would be mandatory for a job. I've had a post doc from a foreign country, whose training is excellent. She is unable to get licensed and has since gone into a different field.

5) You have to do a post doc immediately for licensure. A specialty post doc, such as neuro, can be completed later in one's career. However, this track puts one at a substantial disadvantage as a candidate.

6) Depends on several factors. If in private practice, it depends on: specialty, how quickly you can build up a referral stream, billing, etc. If in an academic job, it depends on the area's need, your qualifications, and negotiating ability. If in a research job, it depends on your ability to get funding, productivity, recruitment of subjects, etc.

When I was a postdoc, the NIH's salary was 38k.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

1.What is the job scene like after you finish with your PhD/M.S. in Clinical Psych?
2.Is it dictated by the state you live in?
3.What is the job description like? Leans more toward academic and research jobs, or is private practice also feasible?
4.Is it the same for U.S. citizens and international students? If not, what are the differences?
5.Can you enter post-doc immediately after PhD, or is a couple of yrs of work ex mandatory?
5.How long will I have to live in poverty after my PhD is over?

1. Jobs for MS v. Ph.D./Psy.D. are completely different.
2. Each state has their own licensure requirements, but most states practice is the same. There are some wrinkles like requiring an additional class or two and/or requiring a different # of hours for post-doc.
3. There is a huge range in jobs. If you are a student, you should probably know more about this since it is somewhat important when you graduate.
4. Yes and no. If you study state-side, then it only matters for certain jobs (e.g. VA, certain gov't agencies, etc). If you studied internationally you most likely will have to re-do your training to match US standards.
5. You shouldn't. Keep debt down. Post-doc pay varies by geography and speciality. I think NIH is low 40's now. I did my fellowship years 5+ yrs ago and I was in the low 40's in the Midwest. First job out can range greatly…$60ks? $80ks? $90ks? More?

 

[Ollie123]

.....I guess still relevant, but really random thread bump of a post from 2006?

 

[WisNeuro]

.....I guess still relevant, but really random thread bump of a post from 2006?

Throwback Wednesday?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

.....I guess still relevant, but really random thread bump of a post from 2006?

wow…didn't notice that. I was just killing time before my next pt.